Inspired by Joseph Beuys

Joseph Beuys is an influential German artist, active in the fields of conceptual, performance and visual art. Beuys was a member of the experimental Fluxus movement in the 1960s and 1970s. This avant-garde art movement was established by artists disenchanted with the elitist attitude of the art world. The artists of this movement looked to Futurists and Dadaists for inspiration, focusing especially on performance aspects of the movements. 

Joining the German air force at 19, Beuys was wounded during World War II. He spent a decade recovering from his involvement in the war by devoting himself to artistic practice. In 1947, he studied at the Academy of Arts in Düsseldorf and became a professor of "monumental sculpture" in 1961, after having produced thousands of drawings for years. He joined the Fluxus group alongside Nam June Paik and George Maciunas, and is known for his philosophical ideas of making art more accessible and democratic by blurring the line between life and art. 

One of his most famous performances, I Like America and America Likes Me (1974), involved locking Beuys in a New York gallery with a coyote for three days. He spoke of his inspiration for the performance piece, "I wanted to isolate myself, to isolate myself, to see nothing of America but the coyote." He was also involved in social sculpture and land art, using art to affect environmental and social change. Discover similar artists on Artsper such as Matthew Rose, Ben, Présence Panchounette and Christo and Jeanne Claude who are also inspired by political engagement.